Re-Animator

Wednesdays are often considered the mid-week slump here at Cat Fancy. Too early to review new albums and too late to recall events of the previous weekend, so it’s mostly a dumping ground for lame posts, but nonetheless I’ll give it a shot with a post about the controversial subject of Hollywood “Remakes”. A word that probably sends shivers down most people’s spines, I bring up this topic after recently viewing the trailer of the upcoming The Day Earth Stood Still remake at Hancock. I find this a confusing choice for a remake, as I always thought of that classic sci-fi flick as a perfect representation of that era. What kind of impact would that story make today? Aside from the tone and themes of the original what can they really bring to the table? I assume they’ll put in more special effects sequences and action, which would be unfaithful as the original isn’t an action movie. Sure the special effects may seem dated but they have their own kind of vintage charm. With this on my mind, I thought I’d discuss a few upcoming films that I think are appropriate for remakes and some that are train wrecks waiting to happen. Now obviously at this stage there’s no way to know if any of these will be good, or bad, but I can still give my thoughts on whether or not these films are justified to be remade. I’ve done some research to the best of my ability on what’s coming out, so I’ll try and cover what I can.

Good Idea
The Wolf Man (2009) – Yeah it’s a classic but when’s the last time you can recall even seeing a werewolf movie? Dracula and Frankenstein have been done to death, but old Wolfie’s never really tested remake waters and I think he has potential. Not only that but have you heard about the cast to this flick? Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro donning the lead role of the doomed Lawrence Talbot? Pretty good casting, and it seems to me that the film’s director Joe Johnston ( Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Hidalgo, October Sky) has a good enough track record…. I’m pumped!

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (2009) – Some might say “Hey the Creature is a classic Universal monster, leave him be.” well as iconic a monster as he may be, Jack Arnold’s 1954 flick The Creature from the Black Lagoon is probably the worst Universal Monster movie. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, The Mummy… Those are all well crafted and well acted movies, but the Creature was just another 50s B-Movie. Probably the only reason he’s even memorable was the excellent costume created for the monster (Really the only true highlight of the film). Aside from that all we got was some poor acting and weak storytelling so a remake might be a nice idea, especially with the talented screenwriter Gary Ross (Big, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) penning the script.

Fahrenheit 451 (2010) – François Truffaut directed the original adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic sci-fi novel which though ambitious, was kind of a mess. With a mostly foreign cast attempting to speak English, this film wasn’t terrible or anything but the story truly deserves a better adaptation. Frank Darabont ( The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption) has signed on to write and direct this one and with his skills this could prove to be quite a neat adaptation of a classic novel.

Robocop (2010) – I’ve never been a fan of the original series but I still think Robocop’s a pretty neat character. To see him up on the big screen could be a blast… Sure it could be absolutely terrible but it’s an appropriate choice. A remake could be a nice chance to vamp up the effects and thought sounds swell to me.

Bad Idea
Death Race (2008) – You may have seen the trailers recently for this upcoming Jason Statham action movie. What some may not know, is that this is actually a remake of the 1975 Roger Corman produced film Death Race 2000 starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. The key difference here is that Corman version was actually a very light and silly action film while this looks to be another generic cash in. Doing a remake of a movie that never had anything good going for it (except the main character’s name “Frankenstein’) in the first place is puzzling. Not only that but the original had the laid back coolness of David Carradine and Sly what does this have goin for it… The guy who directed Mortal Kombat?

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2009) – I think I made my point earlier but adding on to that Keanu Reeves as Klaatu? Michael Rennie owned that role I’m not sure whether Keanu has the chops.

Friday the 13th (2009) – What are they gonna do, Jason Voorhees wasn’t the killer in the first movie, so who want’s to see a movie if they already know the twist? I guess they’ll have to change it and make it even stupider.

The Birds (2009) – So they’re gonna try and one up the master of suspense? Good luck, The Birds was a classic, beautifully photographed suspense thriller what more could you want?

Escape From New York (TBA) – John Carpenter has basically become a whore these days, as he’ll pretty much let anyone remake any of his films. In the past couple of years we’ve seen remakes of Carpenter’s films; The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloweenand you know what? So far they’ve all been terrible so why keep trying? (especially with this cult flick.) Now what’s probably the only thing that made the original as memorable as it is? Ahem how about Mr. Snake Plissken himself Kurt Russel? You might as well make an Indiana Jones movie without Harrison Ford in the title role. I’m getting mighty sick of post-apcolyptic films about the future and this is absolutely pointless.

Red Dawn (TBA) – A remake of a film dealing with the cold war? Hmm, what kind of impact or message could that have today?… How about none, seriously what a joke.

C.A.T: Sea Change

Dear readers, I apologize for our lack of updates over the past few days. Please forgive us for our impromptu vacation, as we’re back and ready to write once again.

Beck – Sea Change (2002)

In honor of the release of Beck’s latest album today, I present you with the first Beck CAT Instead of focusing on Odelay, an album that is synonymous with the Beck name, I thought I would focus on Sea Change, an album that challenges Odelay for the #1 spot in most critical circles.

Beck allegedly wrote this album after the breakup with a longtime girlfriend, and it really shows. This is the follow up to Midnite Ventures, another great Beck album that is the home to that song that came with Windows Media Player, “Beautiful Way.” Sea Change is an exceptionally woeful, soft album, in great contrast to most of his work both before and after this release.

The title comes from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and refers to a profound transformation. Despite being a breakup album, Beck is not bitter here. He doesn’t really rap or rock out or do much of what made his early work so special. Instead, we get intricate compositions with Beck’s surprisingly soulful singing at the forefront. Beck utilizes a large string section, along with keyboard and his guitar, to create a unique and unforgettable sound. The result is a very pleasing album perfect for a lonely evening, or something like that.

It’s hard to single out any one track on this album, they all go together very well. Rolling Stone called this album Beck’s Blood on the Tracks, his magnum opus. That may very well be the case, as the brilliance of this classic is undeniable. It’s not exactly what people expect a Beck album to sound like, it stands very alone is his library. Whether you consider yourself a fan of his or not, the haunting sounds of Sea Change need to hit your ears at least once.

Favorite Tracks: “Lost Cause,” “Sunday Sun”

It’s A Hard Cock Life

Hancock

Well happy Independence Day fellow American Cat Fancy enthusiasts! It’s been about 232 years since that muggy July day and what better way to celebrate then to post about one of the United States’ greatest accomplishments… The Summer Blockbuster!

On the table this week is Peter Berg’s Hancock starring America’s favorite Fresh Prince Will Smith. With trailers of this floating around for some while I’d been pretty excited, but definitely a little worried by some of the early negative reviews. Nonetheless, I went in optimistic hoping to see a good 90 minutes of clever one-liners and FX filled action sequences, so did it deliver? Well yes and no.

Here we have the story of a mysterious and controversial superhero named John Hancock. Believed to be the only one of his kind, Hancock attempts to use his gifts for good but due to his outright recklessness and sour attitude, has become hated in the public eye. As all seems to be spiraling downward, Hancock eventually rescues a struggling P.R. spokesman (played by a sharp and humorous Jason Bateman) who in return has decided to clean up Hancock’s reputation. It’s an entertaining concept to set up a movie and I very much enjoyed the first half, but somewhere in the middle this film gets a little muddy. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who perhaps stumbles upon this before viewing the film, but there’s a big twist. As a matter of fact, not only does it ruin some of the mystery behind the title character but as well changes the whole tone of the film and only complicates things. It’s a little puzzling when it would of been easier to make the entire film about a hero’s path to righteousness, but for some reason they decided to throw in some more plot elements to ruin the rhythm of everything. It’s only now that I can see why this film’s script, which was penned by Vincent Ngo (the writer of several of the Clive Owen BMW short films) and former X-Files writer Vince Gilligan floated around Hollwood Limbo for almost a decade, it’s just not quite there yet. So what we get is half a smart, heart-pumping summer blockbuster and half a confused fantasy story.

Aside from this bizarre “Turn of Events” in Hancock, there is still a lot here to like. Will Smith sparkles with his strong sense of comedic timing and ability to handle drama too. Jason Bateman is a nice touch of comic relief and Charlize Theron is alright in the concerned wife/mother role. I think you can see that the special effects are pretty tight from the trailers and most of the action sequences (which are often played to a comedic effect) are everything you could need or want in an action flick. There’s little I can say (without ruining the story) about where the story takes us, who knows what it could do to your viewing experience. I’m of the opinion that the first half was so much fun that I’m gonna let the rest slide by. The story definitely became a weaker but there was still enough action and humor to get me through it. So in that case, I’ll give Hancock a fairly generous rating to honor what was almost a great action movie. I think I can be eased by the fact that half of this exceeded my expectations, even if the other half fell below. I also want to apologize for the title of my post.

T3: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots

In honor of last weeks release of Wall-E, I thought I’d do a T3 of the best appearances of robots (or androids) in movies. I based it mostly on how memorable they are and how much of a place in pop culture they have, and basically just how awesome they are.

10. The Iron Giant
From “The Iron Giant”
One of the most endearing robots from recent memory is brought to life in Brad Bird’s animated story of a boy who befriends a giant robot. Also, Vin Diesel’s insanely deep voice works perfectly for the Iron Giant.

9. The Gunslinger
From “Westworld”
Yul Brynner gives a very menacing performance as a robot who is designed to entertain but eventually goes haywire and becomes set on killing Richard Benjamin’s character in Michael Crichton’s directorial debut. You could definitely say that this character is in many ways a precursor to The Terminator.

8. Wall-E
From “Wall-E”
It might be a little early to include Wall-E on a list like this, but I think the film Wall-E will become an instant classic and therefore its protagonist will probably become a very memorable character. Wall-E’s a fairly distinctive robot in the sense that he doesn’t look very human at all, but he seems to display a wide range of human-like emotions.

7. Roy Batty
From “Blade Runner”
Rutger Hauer gives a great performance as a “replicant” which is essentially as about as human-looking as a robot can get. However, the fact that Roy Batty is so similar to a normal human is really what makes him such a compelling villain. I guess I also could have put Deckard on this list, but I guessthat depends on where as stand on the whole “Deckard is a replicant” theory.

6. C-3P0 and R2-D2
From “Star Wars Episodes I-VI”
Certainly not the coolest robots around, but they’re still the most famous “droids” from what is undoubtedly the most beloved sci-fi franchise of all time. Plus, basically the whole bulk of the Star Wars story is scene through their eyes.

5. Robby the Robot
From “Forbidden Planet”
Even though he’s only in a handful of scenes from 1956’s Forbidden Planet, he’s probably the most memorable thing about the film. Also, his complex robotic appearance is very impressive for it’s time. He later went on to have cameos in a number of TV shows including The Twilight Zone, Gilligan’s Island, and Lost In Space, and I just found out that he can be seen as a piece of junk in Watto’s Junk Shop in Star Wars Episode I.

4. Gort
From “The Day the Earth Stood Still”
Another iconic figure of 50’s sci-fi, Gort was played by 7’ 7’’ tall actor Lock Martin, in what is one of the most revered sci-fi movies of all time. He appears to be the controlled by the movie’s protagonist, Klaatu and is also made famous by the movie’s signature line, “Gort! Klaatu barada nicto!”

3. Maria
From “Metropolis”
Though I haven’t gotten around to seeing Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis yet, there’s no questioning the iconic status of the robot from that film. Metropolis has got to be one of the earliest films in which a robot is seen, and you can definitely see that the look of Maria has influenced how many later robots in film have looked.

2. The Terminator
From “The Terminator” “T2: Judgment Day” and “T3: Rise of the Machines”
Undoubtedly Arnold’s best role, his deadpan Austrian delivery works great for a robot from the distant future. The Terminator was not only terrifying as a villain in the first Terminator film but also kicked ass as the hero in the two sequels.

1. Hal 9000
From “2001: A Space Odyssey”
Hal is definitely one of the most iconic robots in all of movies as well as being the centerpiece to what is maybe the greatest science fiction film of all time. What is so terrifying about Hal is that it’s not hard to imagine humans putting all of our faith and well-being into the hands of what is essentially a machine. So for that reason, I think Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey will speak to many generations as technology becomes more and more sophisticated.

Honorable Mentions: Robocop, Kid from “A.I.”, Sonny from “I, Robot”, Ash from “Alien”, Bicentennial Man, Robot Jox

I’m pretty conifident that I didn’t forget about any important ones. Anyways, After talking about all these classic sci-fi characters, now I really want to visit the Seattle Science Fiction Museum sometime this summer.

Dead or Alive

Wanted

Wanted is more or less a 12 year old’s wet dream. An ancient fraternity of assassins taking orders from a cloth spinning machine dubbed “The Loom of Fate” definitely sounds like something a juvenile adrenaline junkie would dream up, but even under it’s cheesy exterior Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted isn’t entirely a misfire.

Here we follow the day to day life of an anxiety ridden accountant Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) endlessly trying to find his place in the world. Learning about most of his mundane existence through a sarcastic voice over, Wesley soon enough meets expert female assassin Fox (Angelina Jolie) and just like that his world becomes unraveled. Learning that he could become one of the greatest assassins in the world, Wesley begins his training consisting of curving bullets, getting beat up, reading textiles and blah blah blah some other cheesy assassin junk.

I got to admit right off the bat this sounds familiar. True I can’t recall an earlier film that followed this set up to a tee, but the idea of a seemingly average guy finding out he’s really an individual of great abilities and importance? They’re never gonna get tired of milking that cow are they? Scottish actor James McAvoy stars as our average joe turned killer hero Wesley, I’m not a particular fan of his work but he’s a suitable enough protagonist for this popcorn flick. Angelina Jolie does her “Look how how sexy I am flying around shooting guns” routine, though I find it hard to believe that a boney actress painted up like a prostitute could be a world class assassin. Morgan Freeman phones it in as he doesn’t need to flex to much skill in action movie like this and hey, even Terence Stamp pops in for some reason.

Obviously this isn’t the kind of movie you go see for a well crafted character driven story, so getting to the main point of interest, “How were the special effects?” Well they were fine. I can’t say there was any stunt or effect that was unlike anything I’d ever seen, but they’re still impressive nonetheless. Jumping through glass, tumbling fancy cars, curving bullets (which collided into other bullets far too many times) you know typical Matrix wannabe stuff. It’s funny that on Ebert and Roeper they mentioned that the bullet is almost like another character in this movie and I’m gonna have to agree. Most of these fight sequences were choreographed pretty tightly, sure they weren’t always that thrilling but you have to respect the effort put into this precise ballet of bullets.

Wanted isn’t anything fresh to this genre but far from one of the worst. I’ll admit that I’m usually pretty harsh on these kind of films, as I usually find this elaborate assassin mumbo jumbo to be tedious and dull. So if you can accept all the over the top action sequences, the relatively formulaic story and the occasionally cheesy presentation of this comic book adaptation, then you should check this out… And if your not about the points I just listed, then I suggest you run for the hills and never look back.

C.A.T.: Music From Big Pink

The Band – Music From Big Pink (1968)

Today marks the 40th anniversary of The Band’s landmark debut Music From Big Pink, and it still sounds just as good as ever. With it’s roots rock sound, Music From Big Pink was the first album to point the way to more rootsy, laid-back feeling albums such as Workingman’s Dead by The Grateful Dead and Beggar’s Banquet by The Rolling Stones. The Band’s sound on this album also inspired Eric Clapton to quit Cream and pursue a similar sound.

In early 1968, The Band moved to a pink house in Woodstock, NY (hence the album’s name) with Bob Dylan after serving as his backing band to record “Big Pink” as well as accompanying Dylan’s The Basement Tapes album. With this album, The Band were looking to break away from just being Dylan’s backup band. However, his influence can certainly be felt by the fact that he helped write three of the songs on the album as well as painted the cover art.

There’s a very American sound to songs like “We Can Talk” or the cover of the country standard “Long Black Veil”, which of course is pretty ironic seeing as though 4 out of the 5 members of The Band were Canadian. Much of Music From Big Pink evokes images of the American Frontier or traditional family values. Songs such as “To Kingsom Come” and “Caledonia Mission” have a very distinctive fusion of blues, country, and soul as do most of the songs. However, the song “Chest Fever” sticks out for having a bit more trippy sound as well as for showcasing Garth Hudson’s impressive organ playing and Robbie Robertson’s guitar playing.

For being a bunch of guys who had really just been backing instumentalists for their whole careers it’s comendable how little they show off as musicians on this albums, because they all appear to be very talented musicians. Also, another staple of the album is drummer Levon Helm’s beautifully soulful vocals, as well as just as impressive lead vocal contributions from pianist Richard Manuel, and bassist Rick Danko. The three of them have a very rough sounding way of harmonizing that is both distinct and mesmerizing. The blending of their voices is quite noticeable in what is probably The Band’s most famous song, and one of my favorite songs of all time, “The Weight”.

Music from Big Pink is simply one of those albums that was important because it was completely different from anything that was coming out of rock and roll during 1968, at the height of psychedelia. The Band would continue to pursue the sound established on Music from Big Pink with the delicious slice of 19th century Americana that is their self-titled sophomore album, but as far as I’m concerned, Music From Big Pink was The Band at the height of their powers.

Favorite Tracks: “The Weight”, “Tears of Rage”, “To Kingdom Come”